If you were not a watch geek prior to 2015, you might not know that Dior actually makes watches. While many big fashion houses like Louis Vuitton, Hermès, and Gucci have been working hard to establish themselves in the watchmaking world, Dior has been content to stay out of the spotlight.
Dior does have some watchmaking history, but its pieces are few and far between, especially for men. In 2004, during Hedi Slimane‘s time as Dior Homme’s creative director, the brand unveiled the Chiffre Rouge watch. The watch was sleek, black, and asymmetrical, with a few statement features like a crown at four o’clock. It quickly gained a cult following among fans of Dior’s signature style. After a nearly decade-long hiatus, Dior is bringing back the Chiffre Rouge.
There are five new Dior Chiffre Rouge pieces, with three more to come later in the year. All of the watches stay true to Slimane’s original design while adding a bit extra. There’s an ultra-matte black version, one with stones around the case, and one of the two tourbillons (limited to 20 pieces) is encircled by a rainbow of jewels. All of the watches have the iconic red crown at four o’clock with a “CD” on it and matching red hands. And if you’re wondering why eight is the only numeral in the date display that’s red, it’s because it’s Monsieur Dior’s lucky number.
The most impressive thing about the new Chiffre Rouge models is their movements. The three-hander automatic versions have a Sellita movement inside, while the chronograph version is powered by Zenith’s El Primero movement, one of the best in history. The two tourbillons have complications from LV’s La Fabrique du Temps.
Each piece is in limited production, ranging from 20 to 300 pieces. It remains to be seen where Dior’s watchmaking journey goes next, but one thing is for sure: being part of the LVMH group has its perks, so we can probably expect to see more Dior watches in the future.
Shop Dior watches here.
Featured image: Courtesy of Dior
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